LAKE LOUISE — Parks Canada says there was nothing foreseeable or preventable about the rockfall that killed two hikers and injured three more in Banff National Park.
Francois Masse, the Parks Canada superintendent for the area, says tests at Bow Glacier Falls indicate the rock slide was the result of geological forces common in mountain areas.
He also says based on checks and searches they are now confident no one else is missing.
The disaster occurred in the early afternoon Thursday along a popular hiking trail near the falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
Witnesses reported rumblings and stones moving before a slab of mountain broke loose and rained rock down on hikers below.
One of the deceased has been identified as 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs of Calgary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
